Coming from an elementary teacher/HS study skillls- I think the best thing you can do is make them write, even just a little, every day.

Teach them about a good sentence. What makes it good? Does the subject and verb sound correct when I read each and every word out loud? Does it have descriptive language? Make them write one.

Teach them about a good paragraph. Many of them may have not had explicit language arts instruction (I'm finding this with my students). Main idea- supporting sentences first. Then conclusions. Show them what a good paragraph looks like. Make them write one.

Teach them what a good 5 paragraph essay looks like. How is it set up? Does the flow make sense? Does each paragraph make sense individually? Does my topic work for discussing more than one thought? (Ex: Had a student trying to write about "the best" four-wheeler for a research project. How will you define best? Is best subjective? Could you focus on something that makes it the best- like safety features?)

Most of the students in today's society have never had true writing experience or instruction. "Make them write write write, then make them read." as Taylor Mali would say.

Holy guacamole it's everywhere. I try not to let it bother me, but I also don't advertise that I'm not a believer. No one really knows, actually. I try to keep God out of the classroom, but holidays are a cultural thing and very much still in my class.

Gets hairy when kids ask about religious things, though. I usually start with, "Well, some people believe..."

I'm not speaking for OP, but I taught at a school that had a huge population of students who were refugees. Be INSANELY careful with the question "What is the worst thing to happen ever?". I had a student who was from a war-torn country and I didn't know.